new problem ^^;;;;;

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 04 Apr 2006, 05:03

Yeah I just got back and looked at my tank, and my pleco is dark again and eating the algea, although he can't keep up at the moment. x.x
He is eating and my guppies are really really colourfull
so I will keep doing my water changes and hopefully things won't happen like this again
and thanks to everybody that helped me ^^
Muchies appreciated.

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 04 Apr 2006, 14:15

Oddly enough however, last night when I checked on my Tiny {Managed to see his belly.} His stomach is more sunken than before...
So do I have a problem still? Or is it just that he has to eat more and just slowly get back to being haelthy....
Cause if I have to do more I can. ><
Just I don't know what to do right now.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 04 Apr 2006, 14:22

Feeding it plenty of vegetables will build it's tummy up again (courgette/zucchini, squash (the vegetable, not fruit juices with sugar!), sweet potato/yams, potato, etc). The odd algae wafer wouldn't hurt either.

--
Mats

Iporangensis Headach · Post by **Iporangensis Headach** » 05 Apr 2006, 00:44

Have you got a heater if so what temp are you running?

lil_blue · Post by **lil_blue** » 05 Apr 2006, 03:10

You don't need to just "push" for necessities like testkits, you need to get them. If you are not able to provide the proper supplies for a tank then you should not have fish. Don't start an aquarium until you know youll be able to properly provide for your fish (not just water and a tank).

*umm yeah*

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 05 Apr 2006, 13:50

@ MatsP: Thank you for that tip.
I will give him his food tonight.

@ Iporangensis Headach: The heater is just around that lil 76 degree mark.><

@ lil_blue: I hadn't known that testing was so important before... and also now that I know I am doing my best to get one, report cards are coming out like next week I believe, so I should get one around then.
Had I known that I needed a test kit I would have gotten one before I got the fish. I just didn't know.
And believe me 'pushing' is getting... my mother doesn't like it when I say that she didn't buy me something.. -materialistic mother- sometimes a good thing... all that I need to do is say I want to go to my grandmothers next weekend and poof she buys it for me so that grandma can't find out she didn't...

wow that was a long lil thingy there.. so I shall shut up now..
oh.. first...
I can see him eating, I just watched him... and it is morning time... tanks day time, {7:52 am} if he is eating at this time in the day, should I give him his food at night? or change it to morning so he has it during the day?

thanks I will stop talking now

Iporangensis Headach · Post by **Iporangensis Headach** » 06 Apr 2006, 01:27

Mickey,
Good to here the likle fish is eating!

We have all been down the root were we have needed test kits and medicine we have not got, its a learning curve, you did not know you needed any test kits, I did the same thing when I took on my g/f's gold fish, I used to throw all the water away in one go, wash the tank out and put stone cold tape water in there

and throw him back in!!!

I saw a goldfish book and decided to buy it, and then realised what i had done wrong!!! when i started with tropical i bought a new book and read the thing back to front before i even got all the gear,

I knew anything about cycling and stocking over time, (i would have just got the kit threw the water in and threw 80 fish in and then watched them all die, BUT if i had not read what i did i would have still thought i was doing the right thing).

Its very rare i will buy a fish unless i have become an expert on it first! but i got a twig cat fish the other day because i liked it, but the firth thing i did was ask at the shop then look up everything i could find on it when i got home.

You are new to the game and you need all the help you can get so donâ??t worry about the slight criticism you will get here and there for not having the right amount of "preventive means" at the end of the day you did not know, but now you do

I have a fantastic book on tropicalâ??s with all the help and info you will need plus a glossary of about 200 fish, best Â£10 i spent as i found out loads, if the shipping is not to much you can have it for nowt! (if it helps then its worth it)

Azz

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 06 Apr 2006, 02:52

Thanks for that.
I felt really horrible before reading that...
><
So yeah I think that I need to do some more research and stuff, just the only problem is that I have guppies and nobody likes to bother with details bout guppies... gack...

Iporangensis Headach · Post by **Iporangensis Headach** » 06 Apr 2006, 03:06

had guppies they were great! loads of colour in them and funny to watch

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 06 Apr 2006, 03:35

Yeah they are great, and they don't allow bullies in the tank.
It is so cute cause the biggest male {still just a baby} would stand up to the dalmation molly if it chased the cull {named Timmy, tiny guy}

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 07 Apr 2006, 13:38

Eh heh, my friend and I were cleaning the fishtank and yeah... it was an interesting experience what with me not thinking right and never contemplating that the heater might not like being out of water...
So we were scrubbing algea off the walls, the water level being pretty low {It was filthy T_T my mother insisted I put in these rocks, they just collect filth.. so now they are out}
and yeah back to story... scubbing along then all of a sudden we hear this huge crack...
the heater was just cracked...
so we unplugged it and I got it out, then went fishing for glass
I was more worried about the water change than anything else, but the scare has killed one fish, and another one is on its way... [they went to a recovery tank]

I was just wondering if there is anything else I need to worry about... because the bottom half of the glass broke off and fell into the water
any information on this would be appreciated><

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 07 Apr 2006, 14:12

Next time, unplug the heater before you start water changes...

I think as long as you pick up as much glass as possible, you'll be fine. As the fish are much smaller than us, they need a much smaller edge than us to cut them selves, and I don't think it's any danger to them.

Obviously, you'll need a new heater at some point... Some heaters have an automatic overheating protection, so they'll shut off under the "out of water" situation...

--
Mats

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 08 Apr 2006, 03:16

Yeah I kinda figured that one out. ^^;;

And yeah thanks.

But also, Tiny's stomach is REALLY sunken in now... so yeah... I really need to get to a store that has extra food, cause he doesn't touch the algea pellets...
sigh why can't my mother just understand and take me to get some food for it... arg
hopefully he lives for a few more days so I can get him his food.. {or her}

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 08 Apr 2006, 14:56

Are you still doing 25% water changes every 3 or 4 days?

When was the last time you changed the water?

I've said it before, but if a common plec is not eating algae wafers, then I will almost guarantee you have a serious water quality problem.

Also, resist the temptation to keep changing the title of this thread.

People who have helped you may not recognise the thread, and might not be able to offer any more help.

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 09 Apr 2006, 03:43

yeah I am doing water changes as much as I can
it has only been once a week because I haven't been home
but the water changes are being made
and I believe that it was thursday that the last water change was made...
And I didn't mean to change the title so much... but I thought it was solved then realized it wasn't ^^;;

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 10 Apr 2006, 00:18

Well... I got a heater again.><
A better one this time... and yeah I know now what to do when I wanna clean.><
The person at the pet store said to try to add some aquarium salt and put in a potato... so that is what I have done...
And yeah.. other than the fact that I don't have the chemicals I like to use, we are back to normal.

Also, I saw a gold nugget at the store... and yeah I was wondering if it would be an okay idea to get one once I get my pleco eating...

When I told that pet store person everything that I had done to try and get it to eat... she said that it might just have a parasite so I am a bit confused about that
any help once again is welcome and greatly appreciated><

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 10 Apr 2006, 01:10

The person at the pet store said to try to add some aquarium salt and put in a potato...

I don't think adding salt will help at all. It's just another stress factor on an already weak fish. Salt is only useful for treating specific diseases in a quarantine tank or dip bath.

Also, I don't think trying even more types of food will help at all either. Common plecs eat ANYTHING. It's not that your fish is fussy, it is ill. Your algae wafers are fine, stick with them.

Your LFS should test your water free of change.
Find out the following, and get the exact readings and write them down....

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH

If all these are within acceptable levels, then there is the chance of some kind of parasite, but first you have to rule out water quality problems.

Also, I saw a gold nugget at the store... and yeah I was wondering if it would be an okay idea to get one once I get my pl*co eating...

Absolutely not. These fish are notoriously difficult even for the experienced fishkeeper. They have very specific dietary and environmental requirements. Without even basic equipment such as test kits you will not succeed in keeping the fish alive for long.

I hope this doesn't sound too harsh, but unfortunately these are pretty tricky fish to look after.

Iporangensis Headach · Post by **Iporangensis Headach** » 10 Apr 2006, 01:11

I would stay away from the Gold Nugget until you have your tank running stable for a few months, it would be a shame for it to suffer the same symptoms as your other pleco, + were i live a GN around 1" is about Â£30 or $55!!! so it could be an expensive muck-up (they might be cheaper were you are)

Also how big is your tank? as these fish get to around 12" so you will need about a 6ft tank to have one thatâ??s happy,

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 10 Apr 2006, 04:14

Oye I was hoping that the petstore in Winnipeg would be better than the one in my hometown.

And the local pet store only tested for two things and that was mentioned before in the thread...

And I thought the gold nugget was fussy, but you know the storepeoples usually only want to sell...
She said that they stayed small, I thought they didn't but meh.
I know now...

And my tank is twenty gallons, not sure how long or wide though...

And the gold nuggets are $34 here.

And how do I stick with algea wafers when he won't touch them....
and not harsh at all...
I hope I got everything in there... time for bed soon

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 10 Apr 2006, 13:13

I think what racoll is saying is that if your pleco won't eat algae wafers, it's not because it's being picky with what it eats, it's just not feeling good enough to eat. Adding more different types of food to the tank will just add more breakdown of those foods to the tank.

In my experience common plecos WILL eat just about anything edible - and algae wafers are like Pizza to the fish - it's got ALL the right flavours and plenty of protein to boot.

And I agree with the "no salt" policy. There are some particular scenarios where adding common salt (or some other types of salt) will help, but generally it causes more problems than it solves - sorry if this is confusing, but unfortunately, not all shop-staff knows what they are on about, and there are some fish that are better off with a bit of salt in the water...

--
Mats

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 10 Apr 2006, 13:59

yeah
i know what he was saying...

and from now on I am not listening to those peoples at that store.><

or any store

specially seeing as they tell me that tetras and guppies swim together in the wild -sigh-

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 10 Apr 2006, 14:41

Sorry to confuse you further, but some of the hundreds of species of tetras (sub-family Tetragonopterinae) ARE found alongside wild guppies in northern Latin America.

The great thing about getting advice from a forum like this one, is that if someone gives you bad advice, then someone else will notice and maybe disagree with them because of X or Y.

You don't get this in a shop, as you only listen to one person, who may not have the most up-to-date information.

A lot of the myths in fishkeeping are due to 30 year old advice being passed from person to person, with nobody questioning it.

An example of this is that "a pleco will eat algae, and will only grow to the size of the tank". There are elements of truth in both statements, but it is incorrect to assume that in every case, and you will need to know why.

Yes some plecos eat algae, others don't, and even when they do, they are picky as to what kind of algae.

Also, while a fish should grow to the size that it's genetically programmed to, it's growth can become stunted due to the pollutants (such as ntrate) that build up in a tank that's too small.

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 10 Apr 2006, 22:23

yeah I will need to do some research on those tetras
cause all of them don't swim with guppies
and the reason that I use this place is becuase people can correct others><

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 11 Apr 2006, 13:22

well there is good news {I hope} for some reason the pleco's belly is flat now
I have no clue what it is eating though, seeing as it doesn't touch the algea pellet......
and I also have this thingy that eats algea, it's a plant so I don't think it can be lazy
so I dunno what to think right now..
I hope that my pleco getting a flat stomach is a good sign and not some sign that it has such and such disease...

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 12 Apr 2006, 03:48

more good news... {once again I hope}
I picked up Tiny to check how s/he is doing...
and yeah {okay, normally I don't cause I know the oils on my skin are bad and all, but I have wanted to check his stomach a lot and yeah...} his stomach is like, nearly not deathlike>< {almost chubbylike} and also he fought back, moving his tail to try to move... so yeah that is awesome...
I hope..

Iporangensis Headach · Post by **Iporangensis Headach** » 12 Apr 2006, 13:09

Good news, glad to here it

I am not having fun with my tank at the moment!

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 12 Apr 2006, 13:20

Thanks.
And I saw that... I can't help much other than wish you good luck, which I do...
Good luck... and yeah.. hope everything gets better quickly

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 13 Apr 2006, 04:13

Yeah I am getting more info on those chemicals tomorrow hopefully.
And also umm, I was wondering if there is a pleco that would be a good friend for the pleco/guppies. Looking for one with more personality and less cleaning cause my pleco just likes to sit there so yeah. >< Any info would be nice. {This is for when the fish are all happy again.}

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 13 Apr 2006, 14:49

What I would do is find a new home for your common plec. They will grow to over 18 inches long.

He's OK in your 20g tank for a while, but eventually, to give him a good home he will need a tank of 100g at the very least!

That's 4 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet!

Obviously a very expensive tank to buy and maintain.

I would get a bristlenose instead, these are small, always active and easy to keep. Get a pair, and they may even breed!

Mickey · Post by **Mickey** » 13 Apr 2006, 23:08

I should start looking at a home for Tiny... -Sigh.-
My old pleco got to go to a really big tank.... at a pet store, and I still get to see him... but thanks, I think that I will look for one, although where to find one of those I have no idea. {Any clue at how much they would cost up in Canada?}
And also don't pleco's have a lot of... offspring?
What could I do with them if they did. s:
I only have a twenty gallon and a ten...
And then some smaller ones...
But yeah thanks.

new problem ^^;;;;;

Will you help?